View Full Version : "Junkyard" builds.
I figured I might as well post pics of what I call my "junkyard" ARs, mainly because they are sort of a hodgepodge of somewhat "retro" and more current parts.
Excuse the crappy pics, I still have a 5 megapixel camera.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/Circle_10/100_3153.jpg
This started as an attempt to put together something like a Colt 653 and got lost along the way. Parts breakdown as follows:
BCM barreled upper
BCM BCG
Magpul MOE handguards w/ Israeli wraps (I find they improve my grip.)
BCM Gunfighter Mod 4 charging handle
Chopped carry handle rear sight.
Cheap Chicom made ladder rail cover
Stag lower receiver.
Stag LPK
M16A1 pistol grip
Colt receiver extension/"N" stock/"H" buffer/spring/end-plate/castle nut.
The lower was assembled quite a while ago, like a few years ago actually. The reason for the grit tape on the lower receiver stems from the fact that at the time I assembled it I was new to ARs (having been a pretty staunch AK guy up until that point.) so when I'd "index" it I had a bad habit of automatically resting my finger right across the mag release. The grit tape was added to give me some kind of tactile memory to not do that.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/Circle_10/100_3157.jpg
Now my midlength.
BCM 16" barreled upper.
BCM BCG
MOE handguards w/ Israeli wraps again.
BCM charging handle.
LMT rear sight.
Chicom ladder rail cover
Surplus Arms and Ammo SA-15 lower
Stag LPK
M16A1 pistol grip + grip tape
Unknown make (Maybe Stag or Cav Arms?) of CAR stock I got for free from someone I know.
BCM Receiver extension/castle nut/endplate
I've actually got a CAR buffer in it right now but if I recall my forum browsing correctly I'd probably be fine putting an "H" buffer in it.
Yes that's a Bulgarian IK-520 40 round magazine in it, I have a few of them I got for kicks. The few times I've used them they've done fine but I intend to test them out some more before really trusting them.
Not pictured are the Spec-Ops Brand Patrol slings I use (though if you look closely at the CAR's barrel you can see where the sling melted to it...oops..)
I have the MOE rails when it's time to add lights and an Aimpoint PRO is in the near future for one of the rifles, probably the midlength.
PA PATRIOT
06-08-13, 12:32
I'm no brand snob and if your parts bin build functions 100% and does what you need then who cares what they look like or what the pedigree is. With many AR owners its a fashion show and the gun never sees a day of hard use.
Its only a tool, use it as such.
I'm no brand snob and if your parts bin build functions 100% and does what you need then who cares what they look like or what the pedigree is. With many AR owners its a fashion show and the gun never sees a day of hard use.
Its only a tool, use it as such.
Agreed, though I did try to use decent parts where it counts.
Agreed, though I did try to use decent parts where it counts.
Definitely, BCM barreled uppers, bcg's and BCM & colt rec extensions says it all. Nice pair of rifles, thanks for sharing.
I am digging it... good parts where needed and otherwise utilitarian. I tend to think alot of AR accessorizing is going way too "Gucci" and really unnecessary.
themissinglink
06-10-13, 11:58
My parts guns always have a special place in the safe. Thumb up!
Well I figured I'd post an update to my humble builds....
The midlength now has an Aimpoint PRO, a hogue grip, Phantom flash hider and and a "Type E" M16A1 fixed stock. Forgive the poor quality pic, I still have a 5 megapixel camera for some reason....
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/Circle_10/midlengthsetup3.jpg
With the Aimpoint mounted I found myself not liking the way the Midlength balanced with the CAR stock, it seemed a bit muzzle heavy. So I stuck the fixed A1 stock on it. The result is that it is heavier overall but balances better. The arrangement pictured is how I had it set up for the carbine class that I took recently (It was mostly an "intro" class, which I felt was prudent since I've never had any formal training.) The rifle performed fine, I used mostly 30 round Pmags, but did use those Bulgarian 40s a few times as well. Perhaps not surprisingly, I was the only guy there with a fixed stock carbine...even the one AK user had a telestock on his weapon.
I kinda like it with the fixed stock. How far did the fixed stock move the center of gravity?
I kinda like it with the fixed stock. How far did the fixed stock move the center of gravity?
unloaded with the sling detached and no mag inserted it will balance itself at about the front portion of the magwell.
Here's a crappy, unscientific visual aid.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e2/Circle_10/middlybalance.jpg
I propped a baby gate up between my coffee table and an air conditioner and placed the rifle on it in such a way that it would balance itself, it even stayed put when the cat jostled the gate while i was taking the pic.
I'm not sure exactly how it's current center of gravity compares to that of it's original CAR-stocked incarnation since I didn't really test it at that time, I just knew it *felt* somewhat less than ideal to me.
That thing has quality parts where it matters - I'm mostly replying to this thread so I can reference it later when new people or idiots are trying to justify more expensive rifles that look more tacticool, but are lacking in important ways - this is the better route.
I really liked the look of that thing with the retro collapsing stock, but if you shoot better with the fixed stock, then drive on proudly.
That thing has quality parts where it matters - I'm mostly replying to this thread so I can reference it later when new people or idiots are trying to justify more expensive rifles that look more tacticool, but are lacking in important ways - this is the better route.
I really liked the look of that thing with the retro collapsing stock, but if you shoot better with the fixed stock, then drive on proudly.
Thanks.
I like the way it looked in that configuration as well in all honesty, so I may do a "Version 2.0" of it with a lightweight mid-length upper at some point. It didn't handle *badly* at all but it just didn't feel quite right once I'd put the Aimpoint on it.
I'm pretty satisfied with how the fixed stock incarnation handles though, only changes I'm mulling over are doing something to the buttplate so it grips my clothing a bit better when I shoulder it and maybe at some point trying a low-magnification optic and a folding rear sight combo.
Necropost: Junkyard Retrospective....
Figured I'd revisit this five year old thread with a look at what has changed with these two guns and what's the same.
One thing you might notice are the numbers on the stocks. Since building a bunch of other ARs I've started maintaining a notebook keeping track of the approximate round counts, parts replacement (For instance, #1 just had its gas rings replaced last night and I noted that), any malfunctions etc.. of my different guns and this is easier to do if I just number the guns vs trying to remember what gun has what number of rounds through it.
We'll work backwards and start with #2.
As it looks today:
http://i.imgur.com/dmA00e8.jpg
This gun actually went into more or less storage and didn't get shot at all for about three years. Only last fall did I start shooting it regularly again.
I'm still doing the fixed-stock thing. Although now the stock in question is a Brownells repro Type D, and I'm saving my actual A1 stocks for additional Retro builds. FCG is the ALG ACT. Handguard has been changed out to the BCM PKMR and BCM foregrip. I also recently changed out the Phantom for a Surefire three prong flash hider.
Two major component changes are: A new BCG - Bravo Company replaced my original one last winter when I had a gas key screw shear during a range trip, which turned the gun into a single shot.
And a different lower receiver...I was having another minor function quirk last year that I thought was related to the lower receiver so I transferred everything over to an Aero lower I had. As it turned out the issue had nothing to do with the lower. I guess technically having a different lower makes it a different gun, but I consider it the same one.
The biggest change in terms of capability on this gun though is going from an Aimpoint PRO to a Steiner P4xi 1-4x. I found that with my eyes I needed to use the more front-biased SPR style mount to get proper eye relief with the scope. The rear sight was changed from the LMT A2 style to Magpul MBUS sights that stay folded down all the time. Eventually when this barrel gets shot out I'll go with a free floated barrel and handguard arrangement but for now it still shoots fairly well as is, considering how it's configured.
While far from an SPR, I do consider this my "extended range" AR for the time being. The Israeli handguard bands now hold a torx wrench in place on the gun in the event I were to need to remove the scope due to damage and use the backups.
Here's my best group of the day from a recent range trip.
http://i.imgur.com/IBMZkvm.jpg
1.25". As you can see from the pasties my worst group of the day was on this target too, like over 3", totally atrocious and not normal for me or the gun. Id like to blame the high winds that day for that group but I more likely just F'd up somehow. The other pasty covered group there measured about 1.75" IIRC, which is a more "typical" sized group for this gun/optic/ammo combo.
The carbine on the first page, now know as #1, also got a makeover.
http://i.imgur.com/PlCtOXa.jpg
The most obvious change is that it now has a fixed stock too. I developed a liking for fixed stock ARs with the Mid-length above back in 2013 and have since gone that route with a couple carbine-gas guns as well. The gun was also rattle-canned, and over time outfitted with an Aimpoint PRO, a Surefire G2x, BCM PKMR handguard and VFG, and an ALG ACT.
While my lighter, adjustable stock carbines, or my other fixed stock carbine with a Primary Arms 2.5x on it might be what I chuck in the Jeep for the day when I'm out and about and want a long gun handy in the unlikely event I need one, ol' #1 is the gun most often pulling HD at night and would probably be the gun I would grab in a situation where I had more expectation of needing an AR.
A1 stock is highly underrated.
A1 stock is highly underrated.
Agreed. I had a 10.5 with the A1 for a long time. Loved it.
I've given serious thought to SBR'ing #1 and going with an 11.5 or 12.5" barrel for it, quite possibly one still sporting the standard fixed FSB because I'm apparently very slow to modernize.....
Five_Point_Five_Six
10-24-18, 13:46
Awesome thread.
I've given serious thought to SBR'ing #1 and going with an 11.5 or 12.5" barrel for it, quite possibly one still sporting the standard fixed FSB because I'm apparently very slow to modernize.....
FSB is on all of my serious/moderately serious use guns. I've broken/had issues with too much of the high speed stuff.
Oh I'm still pretty "low speed" most of the time for sure. I still frequently use ARs with fixed carry-handle uppers as "toss in the jeep for the day" guns. As a bonus the carry handle provides a convenient place to loop a cable lock through if I'm going to be away from the vehicle for a few.
The lightweight iron-sighted stuff with collapsible stocks (The old CAR style of course) are what I most often grab for those times I want a rifle along for the ride but know I probably won't actually need one - which is pretty much every time honestly, I live in a low crime state and tend to be fairly effective at minding my own business and staying out of trouble. In terms of portability in a situation where it's very unlikely to actually be used, a 5lb 13oz Colt 6520 usually makes more sense than that Mid-length with an LPVO on it.
But on the other hand, guns #1 or #2 are currently what would get selected in a legit "Uh oh..." situation.
RobertTheTexan
01-15-19, 17:16
Good on you for posting up your build. They're a pair of nice looking rifles, both before and after. I did something similar to you, but with a twist. I decided to build an AR, but only using used parts. (Where I could.) My criteria was that the part had to be from a verifiable source (meaning a person I trusted.) or it was obvious to me that the part was in good shape. In the end I had an MOA rifle (more or less) that I built for just under $500. i imagine some people would dog on some of the brand choices, but in the end, it was just a solid, trustworthy rifle that banged every time i wanted it to bang. I learned some valuable lessons during that process, and it was pretty fun too. Especially sourcing the parts. I called it my Used Car AR (UCAR) because it was like 5 different colors at one time, like some jalopy sold off of "Honest Abe's Used Cars and Emporium". lol.
Good on you for posting up your build. They're a pair of nice looking rifles, both before and after. I did something similar to you, but with a twist. I decided to build an AR, but only using used parts. (Where I could.) My criteria was that the part had to be from a verifiable source (meaning a person I trusted.) or it was obvious to me that the part was in good shape. In the end I had an MOA rifle (more or less) that I built for just under $500. i imagine some people would dog on some of the brand choices, but in the end, it was just a solid, trustworthy rifle that banged every time i wanted it to bang. I learned some valuable lessons during that process, and it was pretty fun too. Especially sourcing the parts. I called it my Used Car AR (UCAR) because it was like 5 different colors at one time, like some jalopy sold off of "Honest Abe's Used Cars and Emporium". lol.
That's cool. Back over the summer I built an AR that included a lot of lightly-used spare parts that I had kicking around the basement. The result was kind of weird looking but with a bit less than 1700 rounds through it (I'd have to check my log to get the exact amount) has thus far turned out to be a surprisingly good gun. It had it's own thread several months back. https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?208479-In-which-I-build-an-AR-out-of-(mostly)-spare-parts
http://i.imgur.com/hih1zDF.jpg
A "used/spare parts" gun. Went for a light(er) weight carbine.
Shoots at 1.5" at 100 with 69 gr. IMI.
https://i.imgur.com/siQ4pLV.jpg?1
Mines was an attempt at a Geissele URG socom build but went sideways quickly.
Sbrd Colt M4a1 receiver with mk8 rail as I was broke and a 150 usd blemish rail sounds good. Upper and lower are Colt that was cerakoted green by previous owner....thick and ugly as hell but sold on fun broker for 150 for both upper and lower.
It's on a 14.5 socom barrel and lmt stock...both hand me downs from another buddy.
Now sports a troy buis and aimpoint compm2.
Dreams sometimes end up being a rest stop
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190116/5196390085e1b365464dba18fdc67b7f.jpg
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Those are too nice. You guys need to think clunkier and uglier! J/k
Well the next installment in this saga continues. Now with more questionable decisions....
Remember ol' #2?
http://i.imgur.com/dmA00e8.jpg
So uh, yeah....about that.....
It looks like like this now.
http://i.imgur.com/oO8goWz.jpg
The other day I finally decided that the setup with the Steiner P4XI wasn't doing it for me. The gun shot fairly well with it but I never really loved the configuration. It was always kind of an ad hoc wannabe-DMR. I tried to like it, as with the LPVO it was arguably my most capable AR, and I was thus constantly trying to convince myself to be more fond of it than I was. But the reality is that once I put the Steiner on it, it rapidly became one of my least favorite ARs to shoot. It became, to me, heavy and clunky, and while capable of accurate shooting never really seemed accurate enough for the role I had foisted upon it.
So we are back to irons, and I'm sheepishly admitting that I vastly prefer this gun now to the way that it was. I realize that I just actually went backwards in terms of capability.
The gun is running lean now, no optics or lights, although I do have a mounting point to attach a light if need be. I have a cheap 900 lumen Primary Arms weapon light I can stick on there if the need were to arise. I tested that light on this gun back when I still had the scope on it and POI exhibited either minimal or no shift.
http://i.imgur.com/rKTu8a7.jpg
But I already have a couple of dedicated light-wearing ARs more suited for HD and "after dark" problems anyway.
I already know the gun is reliable as it's been shot quite a bit so the next order of business was to get it zeroed with the carry handle.
The first 11 shots covered by pasties are from me dialing the sights in. Then the ten holes are the last two groups which led me to rule it zeroed (it's possible it might need like one more click right but now we are in to margin of error territory). Ten shots, under 3", with irons and xm193 at 100 yards is pretty good for my bad eyes so I'll take it.
http://i.imgur.com/tRX5O5K.jpg
I just like the gun a lot more now. If I could change one thing about it I think I'd want a lightweight barrel on it instead of the government profile.
While this gun isn't my "favorite" AR, it arguably would be my pick in a hypothetical "if I could only have one" scenario. Although in that situation I would probably go back to the pre-LPVO configuration with an Aimpoint instead of running irons. I'm not crazy about the weight up front with the gov't barrel, (and this would get worse with a light mounted, particularly that pig of a Primary Arms light) but it's not too bad, it's not quite short or light enough to be an ideal HD gun but it's also not too long or heavy to fill that role, and while its accuracy in a psuedo-DMR role was merely "OK", it's accuracy as a general purpose rifle is quite acceptable.
Eventually I'll build a gun more suited for use with the Steiner as well.
Hammer_Man
03-29-19, 11:29
I approve of your most recent changes to #02. Not that you needed approval from anybody let alone myself, but you got a big thumbs up from yours truly.
Thanks, it may end up with an optic again at some point but it'll be either a 1x red dot or some sort of compact PA prism or, if I want to get spendy, an ACOG, but for now I'll keep it irons only.
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